Split Decisions
by ilovemaddy
Summary: UPDATED! Arnold and Helga. Together in a hotel room in some strange town miles away from Hillwood. Hormones! Shady characters! Hot summer nights!
1. Prologue

Split Decisions

by Jackie

PROLOGUE

* * *

It was getting dark when Arnold and his grandpa came home from a camping trip. Summer was ending and they wanted to do one last big fun thing before Arnold had to go back to school. 

"Had fun, Arnold?" Grandpa asked as the two of them unloaded the ice chest where they stored the fish they caught from the car- Arnold's car- that was parked in front of Sunset Arms. 

Arnold had turned 16 earlier that year. Soon after he got his license, he was able to buy a car with some money he had saved up and a little help from Grandpa. 

Arnold loved his car. It was preowned, of course, that was all he could afford, but it was cobalt blue and when the weather was especially warm, like it was that night, the top can be taken down. 

Arnold grinned. "I sure did, Grandpa. It was fun getting to drive so far. We went way beyond the city limits!" 

They headed back to the car after bringing the fish into the kitchen for Grandma, but before they could unload anything else, Grandpa made a face and turned to Arnold. 

"The rest of this stuff can wait 'til morning, Arnold. Gotta go... all those berries!' And with that, Grandpa quickly headed back to Sunset Arms. 

"Oh, okay, Grandpa. I'm just gonna stay out of here for a while. " Arnold called out, but he wasn't sure his grandfather heard him. 

Arnold climbed into the backseat of his car and lay on his back and stared at the sky. He thought about the camping trip with his grandpa. He liked sleeping outside on hot summer nights. The chilled night air felt so good, even air-conditioning couldn't compare to it, and the campsite was so beautiful! 

He stared at the sky until his eyelids felt heavy and the stars above him seemed to dance him and he drifted off to sleep. 

============== 

Things were not nearly as pleasant or peaceful at the Pataki household. Helga stormed into her bedroom and slammed the door as hard as she could behind her. 

Another shouting match with Big Bob has ended without anything being resolved and her retiring to her room, shaking with anger. It was getting to be a routine. The only thing that varied was that sometimes she would be ordered to go to her room and other times, she just turned her back on Big bob in the middle of something he was saying and headed for her room. 

The fights with her father just seemed to get worse and worse. lately it seemed impossible for the two of them to have one normal conversation. The smallest things always led to bigger things which led to arguing and yelling. She and her father were constantly at each other's throats. 

"Two more years," Helga would tell herself after every fight with Big Bob ever since she turned 16. Two more years and you'll be free of this stinkin' place." Those words always brought her a great deal of comfort. 

"Two more years," she told herself again that night. 

She waited for the comforting feeling to come. It didn't. 

She then realized that she couldn't wait two more years and decided to leave that very night. 

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	2. Chapter One

Split Decisions

by Jackie

ONE: I Take You With Me

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Phoebe was awakened by the sound of her ringing cellphone. "Hello?" 

Helga's voice was heard on the other end. "Phoebe, it's me, Helga." 

"Oh hi, Helga." Phoebe said, stifling a yawn. "What's up?" 

"Nothing, " Helga replied. "I just wanted to tell you something." 

"Okay. What?" 

"Don't ever take crap from others." 

Silence. 

"Phoebe? Are you there?" 

"I'm listening. Is that it?? Phoebe asked incredulously. 

"Yes. Can you remember that?" 

"Remembering," Phoebe replied, but not without hesitation. 

"Good. You'll be fine." 

Phoebe thought her friend was sounding strange. "Is anything wrong, Helga?" 

"Everything's fine," Helga reassured her. "Go back to sleep." 

"Okay. Goodnight, Helga." 

"Goodbye, Phoebe." 

=============== 

The more Helga thought about it, the more she was convinced that her leaving home was a good idea: 

'Big Bob will get his beloved peace and quiet, and he probably wanted just one daughter, anyway'; 

'Miriam already acts like I don't exist half the time'; 

'Olga can use my bedroom as her trophy room... doi'; 

'And as for everyone else, well, let's face it: I'm not exactly the city's resident sweetheart.' 

But she didn't care. She wouldn't miss any of them, either. 

Save for two people: 

Phoebe. Her best friend. Phoebe might feel a little sad to find her gone. Helga was also worried that without her around to protect Phoebe, people might try to take advantage of her, so she called to give her some final instructions and to say goodbye. 

She didn't tell Phoebe about her plans. She didn't want Phoebe to worry, and she didn't want to hear any words of discouragement either .She was scared enough as it was. 

The other person was Arnold. 

"Arnold," she breathed. 

He was the best thing about this place, the one she loved the most. She wasn't sure she had the strength to walk away from him. 

But he didn't care, either. 

And who could blame him? She never gave him any reason to like her. 

Loving Arnold, she decided, was a dream. She could dream any place she went. 

'But still, to never gaze upon upon the radiant beauty of my beloved Arnold ever again...' 

She started packing her stuff. She wouldn't take much. Some clothes, some books, all her diaries and Arnold mementos... she wouldn't leave anything incriminating, and her life savings. 

She was ready to start out on her own. Her savings was fairly large. She wasn't a big spender, and if she had one good thing to say about big Bob, he was a generous man. 

He even gave her a car when she turned 16. It was beautiful and brand new, but she didn't care. She hardly ever used it. She didn't need it, didn't even ask for it. She wasn't going to take it with her when she leaves. It was easier to take the bus. 

She was glad that she was able to fit everything into one suitcase. That made things a lot easier, because she had one last stop to make before she headed to the bus station. 

Arnold's house. 

=================== 

"What was the plan again?" helga asked herself as she approached the sunset Arms boarding house. 

She had no idea what she was doing. All she knew was that she couldn't leave without seeing Arnold one last time. She even considered having a serious heart to heart with him but quickly dismissed that notion. 

"Yeah right," she chided herself. "And then what? you'll kiss him goodbye? Get real, Helga." 

She assumed that by that time, Arnold was already asleep in his room. She decided that the best thing to do was to just watch him through the skylights for a while. That way, no explanations would be necessary. She wasn't good at giving those. 

She was about to climb the drainpipe up to the roof when she noticed Arnold's car parked in front of the building. She walked up to the car instead. 

She found Arnold sleeping in the backseat. 

She stopped in her tracks and just stared. He had such a look of peace and contentment that Helga felt her heart melting. 

She came closer and hoped Arnold wouldn't wake up anytime soon. She wanted to watch him like that a little longer. 

She opened the door to the driver's seat, climbed in and sat down. She set her suitcase down on the other seat. She turned to face the sleeping Arnold. He didn't even stir. 

'I wish I didn't have to leave you,' she told the sleeping boy in her mind. It didn't seem fair that she couldn't have the best of both worlds. She wished she could at least have something to remember that moment by. 

A shocking thought came to her. 

'It's risky, but...' 

Blushing profusely, Helga reached for Arnold's lower body. 

She found the keys to his car in one of his pants' pockets. She closed the door gently, started the car as quietly as she could, all the wghile praying he wouldn't wake up just yet, and drove away, taking what she loved the most with her. 

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	3. Chapter Two

Split Decisions

by Jackie

TWO: You Can Sleep While I Drive

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Arnold woke up a few hours later. Helga had been making good time. They left Hillwood City a long time ago. 

He sat up, looking dazed. 

"What the-?" he started to say. It was dark and he didn't know where he was. He looked around and realized he was in the backseat of his car, and that it was moving. He glanced quickly at the driver's seat and recognized who was driving his car. 

It was Helga Pataki, but that made things even more confusing for him. He needed explanations. 

What was Helga doing in his car? 

And why was she driving so fast, as if she were trying to escape the very fires of... uh... downtown... itself? 

Lightly, Arnold placed a hand on Helga's shoulder. "Helga?" he whispered. 

Helga sort of jumped when she felt Arnold's touch. She slammed on the brakes and Arnold was lucky to have grabbed hold of the seat in front of him. Otherwise, he would have gone flying to the front of the car and slammed his head on the windshield. 

"Oh my gosh!" Helga exclaimed and turned to face him. "Are you all right?" Helga pulled over to the side of the road and turned the ignition off. 

Arnold wasn't sure himself, but he nodded yes. 

"Good," Helga said, obviously relieved. The look of concern she wore just seconds ago was immediately replaced with one of absolute fury. "Don't you EVER do sneak up on me like that again, you football headed freak!" You could've gotten us killed! What's wrong with you?!?!" 

Arnold, who had just woken up in the middle of the night in a strange place to find himself almost involved in a car accident was not in one of his better moods. 

"Me? What's wrong with me?" he sputtered. "Well, I'll tell you. I just woke up in the backseat of a speeding car, in the middle of nowhere, and almost broke my neck!" Arnold rubbed his temples. 

Helga wasn't fazed. "Well, you should've worn a seatbelt, " she told him, with a stubborn lift of her chin. 

"Helga," Arnold said warningly. "Could you just explain what you're doing in my car and why were in... where are we anyway?" 

Helga looked around and started to speak, slowly, as if she were explaining things to a five-year-old. "Well, football head, we're in the middle of some desolate highway. Can't explain it any better than that. You don't stop to read every sign you pass by when you're trying to run away. It ain't Hillwood, that's for sure. 

And as for your other question, well, I think the answer to that's obvious, even to you. Doi." Helga rolled her eyes as she said this. 

Arnold looked at her, wide-eyed. "You're running away?" 

Helga gave an exasperated sigh. "You're hopeless, football head." She got out of the car and walked away. 

"Hey!" Arnold called out after her. When she didn't turn back, he ran after her. He had no choice. He didn't feel safe where they were. "Where do you think you're going?" he demanded when he caught up with her. 

Helga gave him an innocent look. "Just stretching my legs, Arnoldo." 

Arnold could not believe how weird Helga was being, but he was trying to keep from losing his temper with her "Um, that's fine, but could you possibly wait until we get to somewhere safe before you do that? This place is giving me the creeps." 

"That's easy for you to say, " Helga retorted. "You were sleeping the whole time. I, on the other hand, have been driving for hours." 

Arnold saw an opportunity. "Well, how about you sleep this time, and I'll drive us home?" 

"Nice try, Arnoldo, but no dice. I'm not going home." 

"So you're really running away?" Arnold asked doubtfully. 

"Yup." Helga answered, not batting an eyelash. 

"Look, Helga, you obviously haven't given this a lot of thought..." Arnold began. He was thinking of a way to discourage Helga from going through with her plans, but he needed a minute. 

Helga looked insulted. "What do you know, football head? I've been wanting to do this for a long time now. I hate my house. Nothing you can say can talk me out of this." She was practically screaming at him by this time. 

"Calm down, Helga," he said softly. "Are things really that bad at home?" 

"What do you think?" she snapped. 

Arnold wasn't gonna let her get to him. "It's just that... well, I know you and your family don't always get along and you and your parents don't always see eye to eye on a lot of stuff, but I'm sure they love you and you love them. I mean, they're your parents, for heavens' sake." 

"Yeah and you're such an expert on parents, aren't you, Arnold?" Helga asked coldly, and then realized what she just said and was immediately sorry. 

Arnold looked as if Helga had struck him. He opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind and walked back to the car to wait for Helga to come back. 

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	4. Chapter Three

Split Decisions

by Jackie

THREE: No Souvenirs

* * *

Helga wanted to kick herself for what she said to Arnold. She knew how sensitive Arnold was when it came to his missing parents. 

"Me and my big mouth," Helga muttered. She didn't mean to hurt Arnold's feelings. Why can't I just be a normal person around him for once?" 

She couldn't help it. Arnold was asking too many questions. She had to make him stop. She didn't know how to explain everything to him. 

She couldn't tell him the truth. Perish the thought. What would she say, 'I couldn't stand the thought of never seeing you again so I stole your car and kidnapped you?' Yeah right. 

Arnold was right. She hadn't given this a lot of thought. But he didn't know the while story. She had a plan. The old plan seemed flawless, everything was all set. 

And then she saw him sleeping, and she couldn't tear herself away. She couldn't leave, but she couldn't stay either, so when she saw an opportunity, she grabbed it. She dropped all her previous plans to include Arnold. Funny how all common sense seemed to go flying out the window where Arnold was concerned. 

She had acted like a crazy person. Deep down, she knew it couldn't last. Arnold won't be sleeping forever, and her elopement fantasy would be over the minute he woke up. He did, and it was. 

Maybe she was just buying time. She wanted to stay a little longer with Arnold. 

She got her wish, and it was time to face the consequences. 

"I guess I better go apologize," Helga muttered. She marched herself back to the car. 

Arnold was sitting on the hood of the car. "Look Arnold, I-" she began. 

Arnold turned to face her, and when Helga found his deep green eyes looking at her, it took all of her strength to keep her knees from buckling. "What I mean is, it was really dumb of me to say what I did back there. I'm really sorry I said it," she said through clenched teeth. 

Arnold, never one to hold a grudge, accepted Helga's apology. "Forget it," he told her. "I just wanna know a couple of things." 

Helga, glad that things were okay between her and Arnold again, was only too glad to have Arnold talking to her again. "Okay, ,Footballhead. Shoot." 

"You have a car, a great car. Why'd you have to go and uh, borrow, mine?" 

'The car?' thought Helga. 'He thinks the car was what I was after? Well, that's fine. We'll just let him keep thinking that. 

"Well, you know," Helga began. 

Think, Helga. You're good at this stuff. 

"I'm not gonna take my car. If I know Big Bob, he'll probably report that car stolen and press charges against me if I get caught." 

Oh, that's good. Arnold looked like he wanted to say something about that, he just asked another question instead. "Okay. But why did you have to take me along? Do you need a hostage or something?" he joked. 

"Dream on, Arnoldo." Helga retorted. "Don't you even dare think this is about you. I had to take you along. What was I gonna do? Throw you out of your own car in front of your house so you can wake everyone up and I can get caught?" 

"I guess, you're right. But what made you want to run away in the first place?" 

"There's no main reason. Just lots of little things that bug me, but those tend to build up you know, and I can't take anymore." Helga replied. 

"But surely there are lots of reasons to stay," Arnold persisted. 

"Like what?" 

"What about your friends? What about Phoebe? She's your best friend!" 

"Phoebe and I will always be friends. She'll understand." Helga told him. 

"Yeah, but." Arnold pressed. "I mean, isn't there anything or anyone back in Hillwood you're gonna miss terribly when you're gone?" 

"Back in Hillwood?" Helga repeated. 

"Yeah." 

Helga told herself that the way Arnold phrased his question made her answer true. "No." 

_This is almost too easy._

"One last question, Helga." Arnold told her. 

"Okay, shoot." 

_Give it your best shot, Footballhead. I'm ready for anything.I'm._

"How'd you get the car to start? I didn't know you knew how to hot-wire cars." 

_Oh crap._

"I don't," Helga replied, blushing. She averted her eyes because she couldn't look Arnold in the eye. "I uh, used your keys." 

Arnold's eyes grew wide in disbelief. He looked at the driver's seat and saw that the key was in the ignition. He felt his pockets and didn't find any keys. 

It was Arnold's turn to blush. "Helga!" he shouted indignantly. 

"What was I supposed to do?" Helga cried defensively. "I had to start the car some way!" 

"You got into my pants?!?!" Arnold demanded. He was feeling dizzy. 

"Oh jeez, Footballhead, don't say it like that!" Helga told him, her face was getting hotter by the second. 

Arnold calmed down. "You're right, I'm overreacting." He admitted, but he still wouldn't look at her. "Let's just go." He made his way to the driver's side of the car but Helga stopped him. 

"I'm driving, footballhead," she told him. 

"Fine." Arnold muttered. He didn't feel like arguing with Helga anymore that night. He walked to the other side, moved Helga's suitcase from the front seat to the back and sat on the front seat. 

"Careful with that, Arnoldo, sheesh!" 

Helga's suitcase was considerably light. "For someone who's running away and never coming back, you pack pretty light," Arnold observed. 

"Well, I don't need too many memories of that place tying me down. No souvenirs, footballhead. It's back to square one for me." Helga turned the ignition on and started driving. 

"I'll just go along for the ride, if you don't mind," Arnold told her. He wasn't so freaked out about what Helga did anymore. He was actually looking forward to traveling cross-country. With Helga for companion, it was sure to be interesting. Plus, he could stay with Helga to make sure she got settled okay wherever she was going. He'd feel better that way. 

After a few minutes, Arnold noticed that Helga turned at an exit. "Uh Helga," Arnold started to say. "Where are we going?" 

"To a motel," Helga replied simply. 

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	5. Chapter Four

Split Decisions

by Jackie

Four: The Boy Feels Strange

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"To a what?" Arnold practically gasped. 

"Motel, Footballhead." Helga repeated. 

"But, but," Arnold stammered. "I don't think." 

"Got something to say, Footballhead?" Helga demanded. "Well, spit it out! What's on your mind?" 

Arnold's face was burning. He couldn't tell Helga what was on his mind. "Why?" he finally managed to say. 

Helga shot him an annoyed look. "Honestly, Footballhead, how'd you get so dumb, lots of practice? What do you mean why? What do you think people do in motels?" 

Arnold didn't think it was possible but he felt his face get hotter when he heard the last question. Visuals entered his mind, none of which he dared say in front of Helga, or any girl, for that matter. He was pretty sure his face was bright red by then and was grateful it was so dark in the car. 

"I mean, sheesh!" Helga continued. "I have been driving all night, and it's almost dawn. I need to sleep, too. What do you think I am, the Energizer Bunny? You ought to be grateful I'm stopping before I fell asleep at the wheel and broke both our necks!" 

Sleep? Thought Arnold. He felt relieved and started to relax. 

Until he saw where Helga was about to check in. 

The nearest town the exit they took led to was called Brookside. It was a pretty small town, but they did have some hotels, cheap looking though they may be. 

Helga didn't seem to care, and parked in front of the first building that had a sign that said "Vacancy." She got out of the car, grabbed her suitcase and went inside the building without so much as a "let's go" to Arnold. 

Arnold looked up to the sky. "Why me?" he mouthed and then hurried to catch up with Helga. 

Helga burst into the hotel, marched up to the front desk, and to Arnold's embarrassment, said, "Hey, I wanna get a room," in a very loud voice. 

Arnold wished the ground would just open up and swallow him whole. Helga's loud voice was attracting attention. He wished Helga would be just a little more discreet, but Helga apparently didn't realize there was anything to be discreet about. She just wanted to get some sleep. 

The man in the front desk put down the magazine he was reading and smirked at Helga. "Of course you do," he told her. He appeared to be in his early twenties and, as far as Arnold could tell, a real sleaze. "Honeymoon Suite?" 

"No way!" Helga and Arnold protested in unison. Helga looked indignant, Arnold looked embarrassed. 

The guy in the front desk looked amused. "First-timers, huh?" 

Helga didn't get it. "Look, buddy, just give me something cheap. I know how you people operate. You give your rooms fancy-schmancy names and we're supposed to forget the place is a dump! Well, forget it!" 

Arnold just wanted to get out of there. Helga was drawing even more attention now. He tried to get Helga to calm down. The front-desk guy looked at him, "What about you, buddy? Any preferences?"" 

"What?" Arnold asked. "No, no. Anything's fine." 

"What about extras? King-sized water bed?" the guy asked with a wink. 

"What?" Arnold gasped. "No." 

"Jacuzzi?" the guy persisted, he paused for a while and slyly added, "Floor to ceiling mirrors?" 

"Now listen here," Arnold said, getting impatient, but he didn't get a chance to finish as Helga had cut him off. 

"Just a second, Arnoldo, who don you think you are, giving the orders around here? Need I remind you that I'm the one who's gonna be paying for all this?" 

Arnold was dumbstruck. He had nothing to say to that. They never discussed who was going to pay, but it was certainly a relief to hear Helga volunteer. After all, he wasn't prepared to go on a road trip. He wasn't even sure how much money he had left in his wallet. 

The front-desk guy looked impressed with Helga. "You're paying? How modern." 

Helga shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "Well, it's only right that I pay. He didn't even want to come here." 

The man glanced at Arnold and smirked. "Yeah, I can tell your boyfriend's kind of a prude," he whispered confidentially to Helga, but Arnold heard it anyway. 

"He's not my boyfriend!" Arnold heard Helga snap at the guy. "He's just some guy I brought along." 

Sheesh! Thought Arnold. Keep going, Helga. Way to make things worse.. 

Arnold noticed that he guy looked as if he was ready to start kissing Helga's feet any moment and was more than a little annoyed. "Man! I like your style!" the guy said to Helga. 

"The room?" Arnold told the guy. 

The guy grinned slyly, "Can't wait to get in the sack, eh? Can't say I blame you. Alrighty, I'll need a deposit." 

Helga took out some money from her wallet and handed it to the guy. "You folks are in RM. 212," the guy said after counting the money. Follow me." He got up from the desk and took a key from the rack. 

He noticed Helga was holding a suitcase and offered to carry it for her. "Let me carry that for you, Miss.?" 

"Helga," Helga told him. "Be careful with that." 

Arnold couldn't believe Helga had told the guy her real name. 

"Name's Ed," the front desk guy said, even though no one asked. 

The three of them arrived at a door marked 212. Ed opened the door and handed Helga the key. "Have fun, folks," he told the two of them and then added, mostly to Helga, "If you need anything, you know where to find me." 

Arnold and Helga went inside the room. "Fine," Helga told him in her not-so friendly voice. Ed remained at the doorway, probably expecting a tip, but Helga slammed the door in his face. 

"Finally!" she exclaimed. "Now to get some shuteye!" 

"Uh, Helga?" Arnold began. 

"What is it now, Footballhead?" she demanded impatiently. She turned to face him, and immediately knew what Arnold wanted to say. 

There was only one bed. 

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	6. Chapter Five

Split Decisions

by Jackie

FIVE: Into the Dark

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Arnold has never seen a private prison cell, but he was convinced it would look something like RM. 212. 

For one thing, the walls were a weird off-white color. It was hard to tell whether it was originally that way, or if it were a result of years of neglect. The only light source in the room was an incandescent bulb that looked like it was about to go out any second, and the windows faced a brick wall. The only furniture was a bedside table, a overstuffed chair, and of course, the bed. 

The bed. 

It had a wooden frame and two mattresses piled on top of each other. The sheets, at least, looked clean. Apparently, people only checked in here for two reasons, and both reasons included the use of a bed. 

Arnold couldn't seem to get those thoughts out of his head. 

As for Helga, she was just glad they didn't have to sleep in one of those red rooms with the cheesy heart-shaped beds. 

Not that she wasn't terrified of having to spend the night with Arnold, it was just that it seemed easier to do without the vibrating bed and stuff like that. That would've made it a little more uncomfortable. 

It wasn't as if this was the first time she'd be spending the night either. There was that time when they did the BioSquare experiment, and the time she had to spend the night in his closet, and who knows how many other times besides that. Anyway, she had nothing to worry about with Arnold. He was shy and trustworthy and a perfect gentleman. He wouldn't try anything. 

'But if he did, what was she supposed to do with her hands?' 

And where did that last thought come from? 

She suddenly became aware that neither of them had said anything in a while. 

"That guy's such an idiot!" she finally exclaimed. "I'm gonna go down there and give that guy a piece of my mind!" 

"Helga," Arnold said patiently. "Don't bother. It's okay, I'll sleep on the chair or something." 

Arnold looked at the again. Just doing so made him want to scratch himself. "On second thought," he said quickly. "I think the sleeping bags we used on the camping trip is still in the trunk. I could just get those and sleep on the floor." 

Helga looked doubtful. "Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, don't worry about it." 

"Okay," Helga finally agreed. "That's really nice of you,Arnold." 

Arnold smiled at her and she was afraid that she might have said too much. "But then again," she added. "It's not that big a deal." 

"Right," Arnold agreed. 

"And it's only right that I get the bed. I did pay for it after all." 

"Of course." 

"And you've been snoring your head off since we left Hillwood anyway." 

Silence. 

"Basically, you've been nothing but a dead weight this whole time." Helga told him. She was really pushing it. 

That did it. "That's not my fault! I don't even want to be here!" Arnold exploded. 

Helga looked at him with such a shocked expression that he was immediately sorry for raising his voice. With a thumb and forefinger, he pressed his sinuses and quickly made an apology. "Look, I'm sorry, Helga, I think we're both just tired." 

"Uh, yeah," Helga agreed. She sounded apologetic as well. 

"You just try to get some rest and I'll get the sleeping bags from the car," he offered. 

"Good idea," she agreed. 

"Helga?" 

"Yeah?" 

"I'll need the keys to open the trunk." Arnold told her. 

"Oh," Helga replied. Absently, she reached into her jeans pocket and handed Arnold the keys to his car. 

"Thanks." 

Arnold went out of the room and closed the door behind him. "Argh!" he muttered in frustration. Sometimes Helga could be too much even for him. 

Arnold went out of the room and went downstairs. Carefully, he sneaked past the front desk because he was not in the mood to talk to him again so soon. 

He walked to the car and he realized something all of a sudden: 

All of Helga's stuff were in the hotel room, and he had the keys to his car back. 

He could go home. 

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	7. Chapter Six

Split Decisions

by Jackie

SIX: Touch and Go

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Yes, Arnold could leave. 

It was so easy. All he had to do was get in the car, turn the ignition on and drive away. With any luck, he'd be back in Hillwood before anybody even he realized he had left. 

And besides, Helga only saw him as one giant burden anyway. She said so herself. 

Wasn't that why he got mad? 

He wasn't sure why exactly, but Helga's words had stung even though one would think he'd be used to Helga's ways by now. Maybe he just wasn't used to being regarded as anything but helpful. 

He was Arnold, after all. 

He had no idea what sort of help he could give Helga. He knew it was a bad idea to just let her leave, but he also knew he could never force her to go home, or for that matter, do anything she didn't want to do. 

He was getting frustrated. He didn't think making that kind of decision should have to be so difficult. It probably didn't take Helga more than a couple of seconds to decide what she did. Helga was a doer. 

That was one of the things he admired about her. 

She probably didn't even plan to steal his car. She said she didn't know how hot-wire cars. How could she have known he would be there with the keys? He didn't even plan to sleep in the car, it just happened. 

If she planned to take the bus, she could've just hailed a cab to take her to the station, but she could've done that at her house. What did she have to pass by Sunset Arms for? 

Lots of things didn't make any sense where Helga was concerned. 

She was spontaneous, and often irrational, but she certainly made life interesting. 

Hillwood wouldn't be the same without her. 

She saw an opportunity, and she took it. And now one has presented itself to him. Should he take it? 

Did he really want to? 

For one thing, Arnold knew that if he left, he would probably never see Helga again, and he wouldn't be able to live with himself knowing he had deserted her. 

For another, Helga probably just needed some time to cool down. She would probably be more rational in the morning and realize how crazy what she did was and both of them could go home. 

And lastly, he just didn't trust that Ed guy. 

He knew he was being silly. 'So the guy found Helga attractive, who didn't?' 

He stopped to consider the last thought that crossed his mind. It was true. A lot of the guys back home did think Helga was pretty cute, but Helga didn't seem to realize that. She didn't seem to spend a lot of time fixing herself up, but whatever she did, it worked. She cut her hair in the 6th Grade, and kept it short since then. Arnold thought it made her look like a pixie. She didn't even seem to care about what she wore. All he ever saw her wear lately were jeans and T-shirts, which were mostly gray or some other color that was just as dull.. It wasn't that she didn't look good in them, but still, she could do with some color. 

Like pink. He liked her in pink. 

She wasn't the kind of girl you just hit on, though, unless you had absolutely no self-respect, or just plain insane, like Curly. And Arnold had had enough of striking out. 

But he knew he wasn't going anywhere that night.

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**Read: ** | Prologue | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 

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	8. Chapter Seven

Split Decisions

by Jackie

SEVEN: Goodnight

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Arnold decided to go back to the hotel room immediately in case he changed his mind again, or had any other similar ideas, so he opened the trunk, and took out a sleeping bag. He also saw the bag he packed for the camping trip and was relieved to remember he still had some clean clothes left. He closed the trunk and headed inside the hotel. This time, he did not escape Ed. 

Ed saw him as soon as he walked in. "Hey, buddy!" Ed called genially. 

Arnold gritted his teeth and turned to face him. "Yeah?" 

Ed walked toward him. He peered out the building's glass doors and saw Arnold's car parked nearby. "That your car? We have basement parking. Your car will probably be safer if you move it there." 

Arnold looked alarmed. Having his car stolen once in one night was enough. "Do car thefts happen here a lot?" 

Ed shrugged. "Not entire cars, but sometimes, parts get swiped. You know, hubcaps, stereos..." 

That was enough for Arnold. His car may not be a thing of luxury, but he was quite proud of its stereo system. He thanked Ed, put the sleeping bag down and headed out the door. 

"Hey wait!" Ed called out after him. "I'll give you a hand." 

Arnold couldn't think of any polite way to turn down Ed's offer, so he accepted. In his way, Ed seemed sincere in trying to be helpful, Arnold reasoned. 

The two guys got into the car. Arnold, in the driver's seat, and Ed rode shotgun. Ed gave Arnold directions to the entrance to the building's basement. Arnold quickly found a space for his car and parked. When they were done, they headed inside together. 

"So," Ed began as they walked. "Trouble in paradise? How come you're out here and not up there with your girlfriend?" 

"She's not my---" Arnold stopped himself. What was the use? 

"Having some problems, huh?" Ed asked sympathetically. 

"You could say that," Arnold sighed. Even he was surprised at how upset he sounded. 

"I can help," Ed whispered confidentially. 

Arnold looked at the older guy doubtfully, "I don't think so..." 

"I used to have the same problem..." Ed replied. 

This surprised Arnold. "Really?" 

Ed looked amused. "It's more common than you think." 

"You're kidding!" Arnold exclaimed. He found it hard to believe that anyone else has actually experienced what he was going through with Helga, but Ed seemed so confident, like he really knew what he was talking about, so he was hopeful. "What should I do?" 

"Control it, kid." Ed replied sagely. 

Arnold didn't understand. "Huh?" he asked with a quizzical expression. 

"Keep telling yourself that you're the man; that you should be a gentleman; ladies first, and all that jive." 

Arnold looked at him strangely. "Huh? What do you think my problem is?" 

Ed paused. "You know..." 

"Actually, I don't," Arnold replied. "Why don't you tell me?" 

"You really want me to say it?" 

"Please, " Arnold urged. 

Ed racked his brain for a nice way to say it. "You ran at the walk-a-thon... thought the show was over and the fat lady hasn't sung yet... pulled the trigger before your captain said 'Fire'..." 

For a moment, Arnold thought Ed was speaking Venusian or something, then he finally understood what Ed was trying to say and he was horrified. "Oh jeez, no..." 

Ed wasn't through. "...Sang in a duet but brought the house down as a solo..." 

"I get it!" Arnold told him sharply. "That's not what I'm having problems with." 

Ed stopped. "It's not?" 

"No," Arnold said indignantly. He should've known better than to think Ed could actually be so perceptive, or be capable of taking his mind off the gutter for five minutes for that matter. 

Something clicked inside Ed's mind. "Ah, then it's that other thing. Then I definitely can help." 

Arnold was almost afraid to ask. "What other thing?" 

"No yeast in your dough- it won't rise." 

' Maybe I should have driven away after all,' thought Arnold miserably. 

"Hey, don't worry about it, man. That sort of thing's curable. I can lend you some videos and magazines if you think that'll help." 

"Videos?" Arnold sputtered. "Magazines?" 

"I mean, you're pretty young, aren't you? I wouldn't recommend doing something too drastic..." 

"Drastic?" Arnold repeated. 

"Of course," Ed continued. "If you think it's that serious already, I can give you some of those little blue pills. You know..." 

"Little... blue... pills?" 

"Is there an echo here?" Ed joked. "You know... those pills. I can give you a couple." 

Ed realized what he just said. "I mean," he added quickly. "I know where I can get some for you, if you want, not that I have any lying around because I need them or anything..." 

"Uh, okay," Arnold replied. He started walking faster. He was not about to discuss that _sort_ of thing with some weirdo he had doubts about from the get-go. "I mean, you don't have to give me anything. I'll take care of my own problems myself." 

"That's the spirit!" Ed said encouragingly. 

Arnold was actually relieved to be back inside the building. He quickly went to the spot where he left his sleeping bag and picked it up. "Well, see ya," he told Ed. 

Ed nodded, and noticed Arnold's sleeping bag. "Hey what's that you got there?" 

"Huh? This? It's just my clothes and stuff," Arnold told him. 

"Stuff?" Ed repeated. "Like equipment?" 

"I guess," Arnold shrugged. "Look, I really should be heading back up..." 

Ed was looking at Arnold with a newfound respect. "Hey, don't let me keep you. I guess I underestimated you..." 

"Uh, thanks, I guess," Arnold mumbled, and went up the stairs as quickly as he could. He didn't even want to think about what Ed meant about the last comment. All he wanted to do now was go to sleep. The sooner he slept, the sooner morning would come, and the sooner morning came, the sooner they can get away from this place and that guy with his sick ideas. 

'Me and Helga...' 

'Ridiculous!' 

He did _not_ think about Helga that way. 

At least, not since he was about thirteen and had been having those dreams... 

Like he could help those. 

Arnold arrived at RM. 212 and knocked. No answer. 

Arnold felt his mouth go dry. He turned the doorknob. It was unlocked. 

"Helga!" he called frantically as he rushed inside the room. 

The bathroom door opened. Helga was inside calmly brushing her teeth. "What the heck are you yelling about, Footballhead?" she demanded after spitting. 

It took a whole minute before Arnold got a hold of himself, and then he became angry. "Why didn't you lock the door?" 

Helga looked annoyed. "Doi, Footballhead. You took the car keys, but not the key to the room, and I thought I'd make things easier for us in case I couldn't get to the door right away when you came back." 

'What's this? Consideration? From Helga?' 

A sick feeling came over him. What if he had driven away and left Helga all alone? The door would've remained unlocked and accessible to anyone who thought of entering all night. 

"I could've waited," Arnold said stubbornly. 

"Yeah, well, I couldn't." Helga retorted. "I mean, sheesh, Arnoldo, what took you so long? One would think you had to cross the Sahara to get to your car. I planned to go to sleep right after I finish using the bathroom, and I don't like my sleep to be disturbed when I sleep." 

Arnold felt a little guilty. "Well, you have to be careful in places like this," he told her, and let the subject drop. 

"Fine. Next time, I lock you out." Helga compromised. She closed the bathroom door and finished up. She came out a while later, wearing a thin cotton shirt and boxer shorts. The same type of clothes Arnold wore to sleep in when the weather was warm, if he wore anything at all. 

He didn't think anyone could look so good in those. 

'Stop. All. Thoughts. Now.' he commanded himself. 

"Bathroom's all yours, Arnoldo," Helga told him. Arnold was grateful that Helga was apparently unaware of the attention she and her sleepwear was causing. He was not about to give her another reason to verbally abuse him. "There's an extra toothbrush there and all that stuff." 

He entered the bathroom, tore the plastic from a new toothbrush and brushed his teeth. Afterwards, he splashed his face with cold water. 

When Arnold got out of the bathroom, he saw that Helga was already lying on the bed, on top of the sheets, and her eyes were closed. He let himself to gaze at Helga's long shapely legs for a moment, not long enough to be caught in case Helga wasn't actually asleep yet, or for the action to be considered lecherous. 

He more than liked what he saw. 

He was also delighted to see that Helga had unrolled his sleeping bag and placed a pillow for him. He was also glad that she placed the sleeping bag parallel to the bed and not at its feet or someplace equally demeaning just to be spiteful. 

He smiled to himself and walked to the light switch and turned the light off and then got into the sleeping bag. It was especially warm that night, but he decided to sleep in his clothes anyway. 

He didn't want to get too comfortable. 

"Goodnight, Helga," he said softly, not really expecting a reply. 

"Whatever, Footballhead," Helga mumbled. She was already half asleep. 

Had Helga's eyes been open, she would've seen Arnold grin like the Cheshire Cat. 

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**Read: ** | Prologue | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 

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	9. Chapter Eight

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Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold… yet. (My birthday's coming soon, so who know what I might get in the mail…)

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A/N: At last! I actually wrote a new chapter to this fic. Yeah, I can't believe it myself. I have an excuse though: I had a hard time writing this one because I haven't written in so long and once I stop, it's hard for me to get the words flowing again. 

I just realized something. Not having any ideas is not the only cause of "writer's block," you can also get it by having too many ideas at once. Like, right now, I'm toying with a bunch of fanfic ideas in my head and when I try to get them on paper it sort of gets all jumbled up. Plus, it's kinda hard for me to find the right words because:

1) I see the story unfold in my mind as pictures instead of words (a lefty thing, if I'm not mistaken) and;

2) English is not my first language, and I try to avoid having to use it offline or outside of school and since it's my summer vacation, I'm out of practice. (So, feel free to correct me or offer suggestions anytime.) 

Also, I'm just plain lazy. I hate making outlines and drafts and all those things. I found it tedious. As some of you know, I used to just type my fanfics extemporaneously, which was easier, but the works I produced could stand to be improved, you know what I mean?

Anyway, enough of that. Wake up! The intro's almost over. I just want to thank Andrea a.k.a arnoldandhelga4ever for her support and encouragement even when I was unproductive. Thanks a lot, Andrea; you were a big help. I'll try to return the favor one of these days if you want.

And lastly, I please review this thing. I'm really happy with the feedback I've been getting (most of it, anyway) for this fanfic. This is my most-reviewed, and I want to see if I can get a hundred by my birthday (5/25). That would be really cool.

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Split Decisisions 

by K-Chan

Chapter Eight: Skin Deep

Though she had been awake for some time now, Helga had yet to open her eyes. She shifted a little in the bed as she tried to recall the dreams she had the previous night. 

She had a feeling they were vaguely… pleasant.

All of a sudden somebody drew the curtains open and sunlight came spilling into the room.

"Hey!" Helga abruptly sat up and protested. "What's the big idea-?"

She stopped in mid-sentence. In front of the window stood Arnold, looking twice as radiant against the sun's glare.

"Rise and shine, Helga," Arnold grinned. "I knew you were awake."

This was no dream.

It was such a shock to see him that Helga grabbed the blanket and tried to cover herself. 

Dumb move, she thought in retrospect. For one thing, Arnold would still see her once she got out of bed; and for another, all that accomplished was to draw Arnold's attention to her body. 

In order to avoid embarrassment, Helga covered herself with the blanket from head to toe and pretended to go back to sleep. 

"Oh come on, Helga," Arnold persisted. "It's almost noon. You know what that means. Checkout time. If we leave right away we could be home by nightfall."

Helga stayed quiet. In truth, she had no idea what she was doing. She was no longer as certain about running away as she had been the night before, and the more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that stealing Arnold's car with him in it was the stupidest thing she's ever done. It made absolutely no sense. Not even to her. 

If she really wanted to home, she should have known better than to get Arnold involved. 

She knew him all too well. He would do everything he could to convince her to stick it out at home. He would lead her back to the path of righteousness. 

He would do the same for anybody. 

She knew what sort of advice Arnold gave in similar situations. She didn't need him to tell her those things. She needed something else.

She was no longer as furious at her parents as she had been. She wouldn't mind going back. 

But that didn't mean she was copping out. She wasn't afraid of leaving. She was pretty confident she could make it on her own. 

In short, it made no difference to her whether she stayed or left. 

She wanted to know if Arnold felt the same way. She would stay if he asked her to. He would ask her if she he knew that was all it would take. She didn't want that. She didn't want to be just another lost soul for him to save. 

She knew she was being unfair to Arnold. She was a child crying for the moon. She wanted an answer to a question she would never dare ask.

But then again, "never" was too final a word to use. Perhaps all she needed was a little more time…

"Helga?" Arnold broke into her thoughts. He approached her and sat at the edge of her bed, a little too close for comfort in Helga's opinion. 

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Helga exclaimed in a somewhat panicked voice. She sat up, discreetly inching away from Arnold. She drew her sheet-covered legs up so that her torso would be hidden from Arnold's sight, just in case. 

"I knew that," Arnold said with a smile. "I didn't hear any snoring."

Helga straightened out her leg that was nearest to Arnold and gave him a kick hard enough to make him fall off the bed with a "thud."

"Ouch," Arnold groaned, chuckling good-naturedly as he got up. "That was a joke, y'know."

"To me, jokes told before breakfast are never funny," she snapped, but a smile was playing on her lips.

"Let's go get something to eat, then. I'm starving!"

Arnold stood up, and Helga allowed herself to gaze at him. He looked as fresh as a daisy. He had already changed clothes, and his hair was shining and perfect. 

She imagined how _she _must look: rumpled hair rumpled clothes, and there would most likely be dark circles under her eyes. 

'Well, that's not fair,' she thought, slightly annoyed.

She collected herself before Arnold noticed she was staring. "Criminey, Arnold! You're a morning person!" she exclaimed contemptuously.

Arnold looked puzzled. "And that's bad?"

"Nevermind." Helga had never been overly vain, but at that moment, all she wanted to do was run to the bathroom to see how she looked. "I'll go change."

"Great."

"What's wrong?" Arnold asked, when Helga didn't move. 

"Could you… maybe… look out the window for a sec?" Helga stammered, blushing to the roots of her hair.

To his credit, Arnold didn't even blink. "No problem," he told her, and promptly walked to the window.

Helga consoled herself with the thought that Arnold couldn't possibly find her request any weirder than anything else she had done in the last twenty-four hours, and then she stood up got her suitcase and took it into the bathroom with her.

A few minutes later, she came out of the bathroom all dolled up. 

Well, as dolled up as Helga Pataki could get, anyway. Wash and wear hair: towel-dried and finger-combed, snug white T-shirt, khaki Capri pants, and the white Keds sneakers she always wore

"Well, it's kinda late for breakfast, Footballhead, but how about an early lunch? I'm buying."

Arnold started to refuse politely, but Helga grabbed him by the forearm and dragged him out of their room. 

"Don't be a moron, Footballhead," Helga admonished as she locked the door behind them. "Free lunch. 'Never turn down a free lunch.' Didn't anybody ever tell you that?"

"That's funny," Helga heard him mutter under his breath. "I've been told there's no such thing." 

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A/N: Well, what did you guys think? Was the "budding romance" thing too subtle? Too warm and fuzzy? Not enough pillow talk? Let me know what you guys think this thing needs. (Unless it's more angst. I can't write valid angst if my life depended on it, and besides, I'm aiming for a light romantic comedy here. (Hello?!?) Stay tuned for the next chapter, kids. Things are about to get interesting. (I hope.) 

**(",) K-Chan**


	10. Chapter Nine

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A/N: Hi everyone! New chapter again! Yippee. Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time:

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Chelsey- Thanks. I'll try. Here ya go. Hope you like this one, too.

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Digital Damita- *writes more* Thanks.

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TheBaldOneMPLS- Ed's in this chapter! Glad someone likes Ed, too. A lot of people want him dead.

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Annie- Thanks! And belated Happy Birthday to you.

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Akino Matoumiken- Hai! I'm a lefty, and thanks!

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BellaMay76- Wow, thanks. That's exactly what I was going for. 

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Arnold's Girl- Thanks. And you're right, trying's what counts, plus we're learning in the process, so it's cool.

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Skye- *channels Phoebe Heyerdahl* Continuing!

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Field of Paper Flowers- Thanks so much. No I don't mind, at all. My first language is Filipino. And I will try to keep writing.

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Traycon and Fishey Me- Thanks. I'll try.

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Maxine- Thanks.

Also, thanks to **Ally** and **Andrea** who reviewed via email.

So maybe a hundred reviews by the 25th is a little too much to hope for, but that's okay. I'm really happy about the kind of reviews I've been getting, and I'd choose quality over quantity any day. You guys rock, and it's pretty good numbers, considering I haven't been writing all that much. But give me feedback anyway. 

Anyway, if you guys don't already know, I posted a new fanfic a few days ago called, "The Beautiful Ones" and it's not getting any reviews. Can't say I blame the readers, I've only posted the prologue and nothing's happened yet, but it gets interesting (I hope) in the next chapters. After posting this, I'll probably concentrate on that fanfic series. One, because I get a lot of inspiration for that from my latest fandom, "Meteor Garden." I swear, that's the cutest TV show ever, and it stars cutie Asian boyband F4. Dao is freaking adorable! I'm all giddy because they have a #1 video on a local chart show. #2 is a Lara Fabian song, but the video has clips from "Meteor Garden 2" which hasn't been shown here, yet. Dao is so much cuter without the "pineapple-head hairstyle." 

I'm babbling. This is a ridiculously long Author's Note; I'll stop now.

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K-CHAN

P.S. Oh yeah. One thing about me is whenever I have a new obsession, I try to work it into a conversation whenever I can. Just something to keep in mind while reading the story.

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Disclaimer: Hey Arnold? What's that? Craig Bartlett? Who's that?

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Split Decisions

By K-Chan

Chapter Nine: Nowhere to Go

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" Helga demanded. 

"Helga, shush!" Arnold scolded. They were in a public place and people were beginning to stare.

They didn't have to look very far for a place to eat. There was a diner right across the street from where they were staying. It was called "Monty's," but they both had been too hungry to be choosy, so they went inside, took a seat in one of the booths, and ordered whatever looked good in the menu.

Now, the meal was finished, and the two of them had energy to argue once more.

"Why are you making such a big deal out f this?" Helga asked once more, but her voice was lowered. "I mean sheesh, I just want to pay for your food, not give you a kidney or anything."

"I know," Arnold told her. "But you've been paying for everything already."

"Least I could do," she shrugged. "I mean, you wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me."

He couldn't really argue with her logic. "I guess, I'm just not used to you acting so---"

He stopped himself just in time. Finishing that sentence, he thought, would be a serious, serious mistake.

"-Nice?" Helga supplied with a laugh. "Don't go nuts, Footballhead. Like I said, it's just lunch."

"Yeah. But still, you're making me feel guilty."

"Guilty?"

"Yeah," he told her. "Remember last night when I went to get my sleeping bag?"

She nodded. 

"I almost drove off and left you there and then," Arnold confessed. "I'm sorry."

Helga looked confused. "Why are you apologizing? You didn't leave."

Arnold blinked. He was surprised at how well Helga was taking his confession. He expected her to be furious. "But I could have."

"No, you couldn't have," Helga insisted, rolling her eyes and sounding very sure of herself. "Okay, maybe you could have tried to drive away, I'll give you that much. But you would have come back eventually, maybe after driving around the block a couple of times."

Arnold was amused. He didn't think Helga had that much faith in him, and he was flattered. "What makes you so confident about this?"

She asked a passing waitress for their check. "I changed my mind, Footballhead. _You_ pay for our food."

"Fine, but don't change the subject," Arnold replied. He reached into his back jeans pocket for his wallet, realized it wasn't there, and promptly turned red.

"Problem, Arnold?" she asked him, her voice saccharine. 

She laughed when he didn't answer, reached into her own pocket, pulled out a wallet, Arnold's wallet, and laid it on the table between them. "Honestly, Arnold. You'd forget your own football-head if it weren't attached."

Arnold shook his head in disbelief. "Oh Helga," he sighed in his "what-am-I-going-to-do-with you?" tone of voice.

"I didn't notice how much gas was left in you car so maybe there's still enough to get back to Hillwood even if you didn't have any money for gas," Helga went on. "But then, you'd still have that problem of not having your license and registration with you… tsk!"

Unlike Helga, Arnold did not find it at all amusing. "So you took both my car keys _and _my wallet? Tell me Helga, just how many times did you grope me last night?"

He said the last part a little loudly, which caused the whole diner to fall silent.

Blushing, Helga slunk down her seat. "Nice going, Footballhead. Wanna say that a little louder? I don't think they quite heard you back in _Hillwood!_" she said through clenched teeth. "I didn't steal your wallet, I just took it out because I couldn't reach your keys with it in the way. I just forgot to put it back."

Arnold glared at her. "What's the difference?"

"And for your information, I never groped you!"

"Whatever."

"Hey you got your stupid wallet back," Helga snapped. "Now pay the check so we can go."

Arnold took out the money, all the time muttering to himself.

"Look at the bright side, Arnold," Helga told him, smiling sardonically. "But I'm preaching to the choir, aren't I?"

"What bright side?" Arnold asked, exasperated.

"You won't have to wash dishes, anymore."

Arnold's anger dissipated, and he smiled. "You mean, _we _won't have to wash dishes, anymore. Which is kind of a shame, because if we did, then at least I'd have gotten even with you for that dinner you invited me to before."

"Touché!" Helga said with an embarrassed laugh. "That was like, seven years ago, Footballhead. I can't believe you remember that.

"Well, it's kinda hard to forget," Arnold told her. 

Actually, now that he thought about it, he had a lot of really good memories that included Helga. 

He knew that someday, the past two days they spent together would be one of them as well.

Just then, he saw Ed, the receptionist/bellboy of the hotel they were staying in, enter the diner and head towards the counter.

"What are you doing?" Helga asked when she noticed him shielding his face with one hand. She had her back to where Ed was standing and didn't see him.

"Ssh!" he told her, but it was too late. Ed had already spotted them and was making his way towards their booth.'

"Well, if it ain't the Honeymooners," he drawled, and, without being invited to, took a seat beside Helga.

"Oh, hey Jeb," Helga greeted him, apparently not as disturbed by his presence as Arnold was.

He didn't bother to correct Helga. Instead, he surveyed their plates. "Eggs… toast…coffee," he gave them a malicious smile. "Breakfast at noon? Can't say I'm surprised. So, you kids enjoyed your stay at the Meteor Garden?"

"The what?" Helga asked, somewhat puzzled. "Oh, is that what that dump is called?"

Ed chuckled. "You're adorable," he told her.

"Noon? Did you say noon?" Arnold interrupted, glad to have an excuse to get away from the scummy character in front of him. "Checkout time, Helga. Let's go."

"You guys leaving already? I thought you'd be staying for a while."

"Um, no. We're just transients," Arnold said, getting up.

"Well, no need to hurry, anyway. You arrived past midnight, so you can stay until noon tomorrow, and not have to pay extra."

"That's good to know," Arnold replied. "But we really have to get going."

Ed shrugged. "Well, if you _really _have to. I'll walk back with you guys."

Arnold groaned inwardly. '_This guy could not take a hint!'_

The three of them headed back to the Meteor Garden. Ed was trying to engage Helga in some mild conversation, and Arnold purposely fell behind so he could keep an eye on them.

Arnold couldn't wait to get out that place. He was glad Helga had not made a fuss when he talked about leaving. Maybe she had actually the whole "running away" thing out of her system. He hoped so.

"I'll bring the car out in front, and then I'll go up and help you bring down our stuff, okay, Helga?" He told her when they reached the hotel.

"Great, I'll help!" Ed volunteered enthusiastically. 

Arnold didn't want to leave Helga alone with him. "On second thought, let's all bring the car out and we'll go upstairs together."

"I think that's a better idea," Helga remarked.

Arnold, Helga and Ed headed to the hotel's basement parking area, but when they got to the place where Arnold parked his car, they found that it was empty.

"My car!" Arnold moaned. "It's gone!"


	11. Chapter Ten

**A/N**: Hello everyone. Sorry I left this story at a cliffhanger for such a long time. To be honest, I didn't think I'd be caught up in this fandom again, but I've been re-watching Hey Arnold and was inspired to continue this fic. The whole story is completely fleshed out in my head and if all goes right I'll be finishing this story real soon. BTW, I'm also planning to re-write the previous chapters. No big changes, but some parts have been bugging me. Thanks for all the reviews I've received throughout the years.

"Arnold?" Helga gave the motionless boy a gentle nudge. It couldn't have been more than a few seconds, but to Arnold it felt like several years had passed since the moment he discovered an empty space where his car was supposed to be.

"I left it right here, and it's gone," he said weakly. He felt dizzy. It took all the strength he had left in his body not to pass out. Being unconscious at the wrong place at the wrong time was how all his troubles began in the first place.

And besides, he would never live it down if Helga saw him faint.

"Wait a minute, Arnold" Helga remarked. "Are you sure this is where you parked? I mean, it was dark. Maybe it's in another spot."

"Helga, " Arnold said in a quiet voice. "Look around you. There are no other cars."

"Dude, this blows." Ed commented.

Arnold turned to the other young man and narrowed his eyes. "You told me this spot was safe!"

"I don't know what to tell you, buddy." Ed replied in a sympathetic tone. "You never know when a crime wave's gonna hit."

"Crime wave, my foot." Helga chimed in. "What kind of security do you have in this dump?"

"Well, we have a security camera," the motel employee pointed to a spot right above the basement parking entrance. "Right there."

Helga and Arnold looked to the spot where Ed was pointing but could not see anything.

"It's a hidden camera, right?" Arnold said hopefully.

"Oh man, they took the camera, too!"

Arnold groaned. The reality of the situation had begun to sink in. His car was stolen. Twice. In one night.

He had, to some degree, been able to thwart the first would-be car thief, only to have some other car thief complete the job.

Arnold thought about it. Maybe he was meant to lose his car. Maybe it was like that movie he watched one sleepless night a few years ago where the Grim Reaper was chasing a bunch of kids who were meant to _expire_ but didn't.

But still, he couldn't help but take it a little personally.

Arnold looked at Helga. She seemed to be able to keep her wits about her. True, she wasn't the one missing the one thing of value that she owned, but he wasn't used to Helga being the one who was acting like a normal person and him being the one who needed help.

He appreciated the fact that she could act rationally during his moment of weakness. He didn't think he could handle losing his car _and_ being stranded in the middle of who-knows-where _and _Helga's insults all at the same time.

"Snap out of it Arnold. You're beyond useless right now." Helga barked.

Apparently, he could.

"Okay, no problem. Where are the other cameras positioned?" Arnold asked Ed. He decided not to deal with Helga just then.

"We only have one camera here," Ed said in a casual tone.

"Well, that's convenient!" Helga exclaimed.

"It ain't the Marriott," Ed shrugged.

"Unbelievable." Arnold recognized the look in Helga's face at that moment. She looked ready for a fight.

Actually, she looked just as she always looked, but Arnold was worried that the strangers in the strange town they ended up with would take it the wrong way.

"Calm down, Helga. I can handle it." Arnold was treading on eggshells and wished Helga would at least try her best to do so, too. He had his suspicions but he didn't want to accuse anyone without proof, but if his suspicions were correct, then he didn't want Helga antagonizing someone who was capable of committing a serious crime.

At least not until they were a safe distance away.

"I doubt it." Helga retorted, but she held her tongue anyway.

Arnold knew that Helga would rip his head off if he told her to shut up, but he didn't want her to spook Ed until he figured out how to get his car back, if ever he was the one who took it. He would talk to her the next moment they have alone. Until then, he could only hope that Helga would practice restraint or Ed would back off soon.

"Can we take a look at what's on the tape, anyway?" Arnold insisted.

"Knock yourselves out. Come on."

The three made their way back to the motel. They headed straight to the front desk and behind it they saw a small TV connected to a VCR.

"You know, it's funny you didn't know the camera was gone until a while ago, because the monitor would have been showing a blank screen since the camera was taken." Helga observed.

For the first time that morning, Ed had the decency to look ashamed. "About that, " he began.

"I was watching the game on this thing. I guess whoever took the camera took it around that time."

"Of course, you had to be watching the game instead of doing your job." Helga provoked.

"I had to. It was a matter of life and death."

"Give me a break."

"You know, I'm not sure I like your tone," Ed's voice seemed to change slightly.

"Break it up, you two." Arnold intervened. Tensions were rising and he had to act fast. He threw his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "I guess we have no choice but to call the police."

To his credit, it was only a small surprise to Arnold that the cries of protests that reached his ears came from both of his companions.


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Arnold grew intrigued. He couldn't help it, because now he had two suspects when only a moment ago he was utterly and completely lost on how to go about searching for his car.

At the moment, his suspects were yelling at him in unison, giving Arnold his or her two cents about why calling the police would be a bad idea. Was either of them threatening him?

Were both of them?

Were they in it together?

He had to tune them both out at the moment. He needed to think.

Helga was on the verge of hysteria. He didn't want to accuse his childhood friend, but her behavior sure wasn't helping. Not to mention, she had done it before.

Of course, he couldn't rule out Ed. He didn't want to think too badly of someone he didn't know that well, but in the short time they'd known each other, Ed had given Arnold enough reason to be wary.

His sleuthing instinct kicked in. The day's events reminded him of the time when his grandfather's beloved Packard went missing and he and his grandmother were the ones who solved the case. His grandmother even made a game of it: She pretended they were private investigators straight out of those old black and white movies.

Arnold had always lived a rich fantasy life, and the idea of him as a hard-boiled detective was more appealing at sixteen than it had been when he was nine. Those guys were smooth, suave, and they always got the girl, didn't they?

Not like him at all.

On the other hand, not _unlike_ the detectives he admired, he had to admit he often found himself right smack in the middle of strange goings-on back in Hillwood. He couldn't in all honesty say that he never went looking for trouble, but he almost always had a good reason to do so.

He had solved his fair share of mysteries in his sixteen years on the planet. Surely he could find his car.

Now, which suspect should he bring in for questioning first?

Arnold looked at Ed then at Helga and weighed his options. Ed was potentially dangerous and if he had already committed grand theft auto, he probably wouldn't hesitate to add another item to his rap sheet.

Helga, on another hand, posed a whole other set of problems, but she was going to cause problems for him one way or another. He'd resigned himself to that fact years ago. He might as well just come out and ask Helga if she had anything to do with his car's most recent disappearance.

She'd beaten up people for less than that, but he'd known Helga practically all his life and so far, there was nothing she did to him which couldn't be fixed by Band-Aids or Betadine, or when he got old enough to have migraines, some Aspirin.

Or even more recently, ice-cold showers.

The last thought horrified him. Also, Helga would probably murder him if she knew. He didn't know where it came from, and he didn't want to know. He simply didn't have the time to analyze his subconscious at the moment. It was going to have to wait.

"Snap out of it, Footballhead!" Helga yelled at him and he almost jumped out of his skin. "What's the matter with you? Why do you have that dumb spaced out look on your face at a time like this?

"Excuse us a moment, will you, Helga? Ed, can I talk to you a minute?" Arnold mumbled. He avoided eye contact with her and made his way towards Ed and pulled the older boy aside. No way was he going to talk to Helga just then.

Ed was, without a doubt, bigger than him and could cause a lot of bodily harm, but Arnold knew a thing or two about defending himself, anyway. Helga gave a disbelieving huff and moved some distance from the two young men.

"Dude," Ed laughed and shook his head. "Another lovers' spat? Well, nothing another night here can't fix."

"Cut it out," Arnold told him in a serious tone. He was getting pretty tired of Ed's innuendoes. It was probably his fault Arnold was having unsavory thoughts. About Helga. Of all people. "Tell me why I shouldn't call the cops?"

Ed sobered up."Dude, come on. Be a pal. If the owners heard that one of the customers lost his car and called the cops, I'll lose my job! I can't lose my job, it's all I have"

"What am I supposed, to do, Ed? You practically guaranteed that my car would be safe in the basement. Well, it's not there, is it?"

"I know, I know," Ed looked genuinely sorry and more than a bit desperate. "Anyway, you can't go to the cops just yet. Don't you have to wait for something to be missing 24 hours before you report it?"

"That's just for people." Arnold told him, his voice flat from lack of amusement.

"What, cars are more important that they could be searched for immediately? What's this world coming to?" Ed exclaimed.

"It's a real shame," Arnold wasn't one for sarcasm but he was getting impatient. "Not good enough. I'm calling the cops."

Arnold reached for the telephone on the front desk, but Ed grabbed it first. "Okay, I'll tell you the truth." Ed said in a low voice.

"I knew you were hiding something. Spill it, Ed."

"I'm pretty sure I know who took your car."

"Who?" Arnold asked in an excited voice. "What did he do to it? Is it okay?"

"Some neighborhood kids about your age. They get restless during these hot summer nights. They see a new car on the street, they take it for a ride. Good news is, they almost always take it back before anybody notices. Doesn't take them more than a day to get all funned-out. No harm done."

"Almost always?" Arnold couldn't get past those words.

"Well, sometimes, they total a car or two."

Arnold had heard enough. "That's it. Where do these kids live? I'm getting my car back."

"Hey take it easy. You gotta understand. These kids, they're mostly harmless if you leave them alone, but mess with them and it could get ugly."

Ed made a sweeping gesture of the motel. "They could make all sorts of trouble for the Meteor Garden. And business has been bad enough as it is."

It was probably the first time since Arnold met Ed that he felt a sort of kinship with him. How could he not? In a way, he depended on the affordable housing industry, too, since the Sunset Arms Boarding House was his family's main source of income. He would feel bad if a bad reputation or local petty criminals caused it to go under.

Ed must have sensed he was getting through to Arnold. "Give it another day. You can stay another night here. Won't cost you anything."

Arnold nodded. Did he have a choice?

"Anyway, it'll give you a chance to smooth things out with the girlfriend. Rawr." Ed purred, having obviously regained his composure.

Arnold gritted his teeth. Then again, maybe business was bad for the motel because an employee kept harassing the customers.

Arnold was still not entirely convinced but decided it probably wouldn't hurt to see how Ed's hunch played out.

However, Ed was not yet in the clear. Arnold did expect him to try and pin the blame on someone else. What he didn't expect, was for him to be so convincing.

And then there was Helga. If it had been Ed, or the kids Ed was talking about, then why was she acting so weird?

Arnold paused at his question. He may as well have asked why the world is round or why the sun rose in the east and set in the west. Weirdness was just Helga's way.

Normal or not, she had some questions to answer. He made his way towards Helga, envisioning her as the femme fatale of the detective story playing out in his mind.

* * *

A/N: I just watched Grandpa's Packard and Phoebe's Little Problem (among other eps) for the first time a few days ago and it was so inspiring! I was amused at the parallels between that episode and my fic that I just had to mention them here.

BTW, guys? Aside from and DA, just where does today's HA! Fan hang out nowadays? It's been so long. I can't spend too much time on DA because most of my time online is during work so I can't risk NSFW images. NSFW text, I can get away with. LOL.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Annemarie22, KPfan72491, Edward Crane, JohnsonWifey89 and Blankasill.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

"How'd the shakedown go, Sherlock?" Helga asked in a mocking tone. She affected an accent he only heard in noir films. "Did you get any clues? Did he sing like a canary?"

Arnold stiffened at Helga's allusions. The very thought that she could read his mind- considering where it had just been - distressed him greatly.

"I don't know anything for sure just yet." Arnold told her. He led Helga away so that they could talk in private. They found a bench against a wall in the lobby and sat down. He didn't want to give away too many details to either Ed or Helga just one of them would find a way to use them to his or her advantage.

"It was him," Helga declared with conviction. She meant Ed. "I mean, who else could have done it?"

Arnold gave her a meaningful look.

"Me?" Helga sputtered. "You're accusing _me_?"

Arnold could not believe that Helga had the gall to act offended. Hurt even. Was that her tactic? To make him feel guilty so that he'd drop the whole thing?

He folded his arms and cocked his head to one side. "Come on Helga. It's not so far-fetched to think that you would steal my car, is it?"

"It's just that one time!" Helga insisted." Get over it! Sheesh!"

"Anyway, she continued. " I can't believe you're more ready to take that freakshow's word over mine. You've known me all your life, Arnold."

"Exactly," Even though Arnold knew Helga wasn't the sensitive type, he was sorry he said it. "Look, Helga, I didn't mean that. All I'm saying is that it's possible it wasn't Ed.

Helga laughed in disbelief. "Criminey, Footballhead! That guy saw you coming a mile away, didn't he?"

Arnold frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Helga paused for dramatic effect. "That guy's a con and you're his patsy. He did some kind of dog-and-pony number on you and you just bent over and took it. _Story of your life_, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Helga." Arnold stuck his chin out defiantly. "I happen to think I'm an _excellent _judge of character."

Helga's eyes twinkled with amusement. "You honestly believe that, don't you?

Arnold nodded. He _wasn_'t being self-righteous, he was simply stating a fact. He did have good judgement. Wasn't he the one everyone usually turned to for advice? Even when he and his childhood friend had grown up and flocked to their own respective cliques, didn't they still come to him with their tales of woe?

Helga snorted. "Guess, I was wrong, Arnoldo. I guess it wasn't you who went running around with that petty thief Frankie G. so many years ago."

Arnold was dumbfounded. He had forgotten about that.

"And I guess Oskar-that deadbeat Sunset Arms boarder- doesn't scam on you on a regular basis," Helga continued then raised an eyebrow. "And there's that blonde bimbo at the beach that one summer. You know who I'm talking about, right? The one who wanted you to make her a sandcastle?"

"Yes, I know who you mean, Helga," he muttered. Memories of that summer then flooded Arnold's mind.

* * *

His extended, non-traditional family rented a beach house and there he met Summer.

He was nine years old then, barely on the verge of manhood, but had already begun to notice girls. How could he not have noticed beautiful, golden, perfect Summer? She was unlike any of the girls he knew back home:

_She didn't spend every moment of their time together talking about her hair like other beautiful girls he had known._

_She didn't ruin perfect afternoons together with such buzzkill lines as how she liked him but not in the way he'd hoped;_

But probably the best thing about her was that _she didn't loudly object to having to breathe the same air he did, unlike certain blondes he had the misfortune of knowing._ He glowered at Helga.

Ironically, Helga had been his salvation that summer. Summer turned out too good to be true. Helga, whose family shared their beach house as luck would have it, had inadvertently overheard Summer plotting with her boyfriend about using Arnold's artistic ability to break into show business.

Needless to say, Helga could not tell Arnold what she heard soon enough. He didn't believe her at first but he eventually he heard the truth straight from the horse's mouth.

He was grateful to Helga then, but at the moment, he was not feeling especially charitable. Because who really knew what her true intentions were? Wasn't she the one who benefitted from his dumping Summer as his contest partner? Wasn't "Babewatch" one of her favorite TV shows at the time?

Arnold shook his head in amusement. His perspective at sixteen is a little different that it had been when he was nine. Maybe he should have just built Summer that sandcastle. Yes, he was just using him, but really, didn't she make him happy in return?

What did his nine-year old self really expect?

* * *

"I get the point, Helga," he conceded.

"What point, Arnoldo? I'm simply agreeing with you on how _street-smart_ you are." Helga said sweetly. "You're not _completely snowed_ by Lila's act, either."

"Hey, what's wrong with Lila?" Arnold protested. Helga's perception of the other people she mentioned may have been right-on but he felt inclined to defend the girl he had a sort-of history with.

Helga rolled her eyes. "Nothing. She's perfect," Helga said through clenched teeth.

* * *

Her comment puzzled Arnold. He knew that Helga and Lila weren't exactly bosom buddies but he wasn't aware of any bad blood between them. Sure, Helga kind of resented Lila for being so close to the other members of the Pataki family but she also treated Lila more nicely than any of the other kids they had grown up with -except for her best friend Phoebe, of course.

Arnold would have sworn Helga genuinely liked Lila. Who didn't? Even if he no longer liked Lila the way he used to there was really no reason to dislike her, either. He could even remember a time when Helga followed Lila around trying to act like her and even dress like her for reasons he would probably never understand.

Needless to say, it didn't last long and Helga had reverted to her old ways before anyone even knew what was going on. He was actually kind of relieved. Helga acting like Lila confused him, and he'd always thought Helga was fine the way she was.

As for Lila, well, she would never say anything bad about anybody, but he could tell she didn't just tolerate Helga. She seemed to genuinely like Helga and saw in her what he always knew was there.

Arnold smiled. He knew there had to be a reason why he liked Lila so much.

* * *

"Maybe you're right, Helga," he admitted. "Maybe I give people way too much credit and sometimes, that ends badly for me but I still prefer to think that deep down, everyone's a good person. _Even you."_

Helga's eyes flashed. "What was that supposed to mean?" She demanded.

Arnold blushed. "I didn't mean it that way, Helga. I just meant-"

"Put a sock in it, Arnold. I don't care what you think." Helga fumed. She was about to walk out on Arnold but he stopped her.

"Don't go, Helga" Arnold pleaded. "We have to stay together. It's not safe."

"What are you worried about, geek-bait? _Him_?" Helga pointed to Ed's general direction. "Watch this."

Helga walked over to the front desk where Ed was sitting. Before she reached him, she reached him, she reached into her pants pocket and took out _her cellphone_- a real state of the art model, thanks to her Dad's connections- aimed its camera at the guy and yelled, "Hey Chuckles!"

Ed looked up in surprise, just in time for the flash to go off. "See this?" she asked in a no-nonsense tone. "I just sent your picture to everyone I know."

Helga continued talking, not giving Ed a chance to respond. "Everyone knows where we are and if anything happens to us, you can bet your butt they'll come for you first. So you better not try anything." With that, Helga was out the door.

Arnold ran past a bewildered Ed at the front desk, caught up with Helga at the motel's driveway and grabbed her by the hand. "I can't believe you did that." He would have laughed, had circumstances been different. "Can't you just do what I say, for once?"

Helga pulled her hand away from Arnold's. "To be honest, Footballhead, the way I feel about you right now, you're much safer far, far away from me."

"Pretty much like any other day, then, huh Helga?" Arnold couldn't help himself.

"I'm warning you, Arnoldo. Don't start."

"No Helga. I'm not starting anything. As a matter of fact why don't we do just the opposite and finish this once and for all?" He was beginning to sound really angry.

It was Helga's turn to look shocked. "What are you talking about?"

Arnold knew he had opened a can of worms and was about to be very, very sorry. "We've been through this a million times. I can probably recite all your lines for you: You hate me. I make you sick. The thought of being in the same room as me makes you want to claw your own eyes out. How am I doing so far?"

Helga was speechless. "I-uh," she stammered.

"But never once do you say why, huh, Helga?" Arnold continued. His face felt hotand he was aware that he was ranting, but he couldn't stop if he wanted. "So why don't you do me that favor, okay? Tell me why you hate me? Was it something I did, or said? Just tell me so I can apologize or make it up to you or something."

He looked at Helga. Her face was red as well, and her hands were clenched into fists. He was sorry he yelled, but wasn't ready to let the subject drop, but at the same time he was still mad. Helga made him feel so many different things at the same time.

"Otherwise what's the point?" He said a little more softly. "Why waste your time reminding me what a worthless human being I am if you won't even let me try and change how you feel about me. It can't be healthy for you, either."

"Get off my case, Arnold!" Helga exclaimed."Nothing you say or do will ever change the way I feel about you, you stupid footballhead!"

Arnold braced himself. This was it, he thought. Helga was going to hit him. He was surprised she hadn't done it sooner.

Helga gave a throaty chuckle. "You still don't get it do you?" There was a wild look in her eyes and she seemed to be on the brink of hysteria. "I don't hate you, I only act like I do."

"But why?"

"Don't you get it? I love you! I've loved you since the moment I first laid eyes on your stupid football-head! I worshipped you! Wrote you poems, volumes of them! Kept various likenesses of you throughout the years! Watched you in your sleep through the skylight in your room! I love you!" Helga took a deep breath.

Arnold reeled from Helga's declaration. He felt a sense of deja vu. It wasn't the first time Helga acted this way.

* * *

He vaguely remembered a night some years ago, on a rooftop somewhere in Hillwood. He and Helga were facing each other and she was wearing a trenchcoat.

A trenchcoat? Arnold mused. Did that really happen, or was that another detective-themed fantasy?

No, Arnold surmised when the details came to him more clearly. That definitely happened because if it hadn't, the neighborhood probably wouldn't have been saved.

She spoke in that panic-stricken voice, then, too. And she fed him practically the same lines and then she kissed him.

Then she took it all back. After kissing him the way she did, she took it back and had the temerity to act as though nothing happened.

This, Arnold decided, was exactly the kind of thing Helga did when she was backed into a corner. She told outrageous lies, and acted generally crazy so that whoever was confronting her would just want to run for the hills like his very life depended on it. Well, it worked.

"Fine, Helga" he said in an even tone. "Don't tell me if you don't want to, there's no need for sarcasm." He turned his back on her and walked away as Helga cried out in frustration.

* * *

**A/N**: Whew! This was a long-winded chapter. Does it bother anyone that Arnold kept going off on tangents? It kinda bothers me, but I decided it worked since in the show- at least in earlier episodes, he's always on a head trip.

Also, I kind of used up a lot of ammo I was supposed to be saving for future chapters but this story's eleven chapters long already and there still hasn't been any development in the relationship. I'm picking up the pace of this story since I've been thinking a lot about "The Beautiful Ones" (found here) and want to work on it again.

As always, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Kpfan72491, angie93, acosta perez jose ramiro, JohnsonWifey89, and Annemarie22. Thanks also to those who added me to their favorites and alerts.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer:** It's not mine!

* * *

It had been a few hours since Arnold left Helga at the Meteor Garden in an all-too-obvious hurry. He didn't want to leave her, but didn't know how to face her after their confrontation. He was sure she was playing him- she said so herself that it was only too easy to do so. If she wasn't, well, he didn't know how he'd feel about that, either. Since then, he had been walking the streets of Brookside: the town he was stranded in and knew very little about besides its name.

On the surface, Brookside looked very much like Hillwood with its old run-down buildings, small shops, minor conveniences, and lower middle to middle class inhabitants but it lacked the spirit of community that kept his own beloved city alive. There weren't any kids playing ball in vacant lots, or riding bikes in the steep hill he just passed. There weren't any elderly people playing checkers on the sidewalk or in the park. Several cars -none of which his, he noted- passed by from time to time. From a distance, Arnold heard a domestic disturbance taking place when back in Hillwood he always heard classical jazz or his grandmother playing piano on the roof.

Arnold's eyes widened. His grandmother! He slapped himself on the forehead. He was out all last night and it had been almost 24 hours since his grandparents last saw him. He didn't want them to worry.

He scanned his surroundings for a pay phone, spotted one further down the street and made a run towards it. He fished for some loose change in his pocket and dialed the number for the Sunset Arms Boarding House.

His grandfather picked up after a few rings. "Grandpa, it's me."

"Who is this?" Phil Shortman demanded. "I'm not buying anything."

"Grandpa, it's Arnold."

"Oh Arnold!" the old man exclaimed. "When did you get a job as a telemarketer?"

"I'm not a telemarketer, Grandpa," Arnold replied patiently. "I just want to call and say I'm sorry for staying out all night but don't worry about me, okay?"

"Aw, no need to explain, Shortman." His grandfather reassured. "It's normal to want to spend time with your friends. After all, summer vacation is ending and you already missed a couple of days because some old coot wanted to go camping with his favorite grandson."

"No, it's not like that, Grandpa. I told you, I had fun camping with you. I just needed to go somewhere for a while." Arnold felt guilty. He didn't exactly lie but he wasn't about to inform his grandfather that he was abducted by the awkward, angry girl he went to school with while he slept, either. Or that his car was stolen and was now stranded in the middle of a strange town, miles away from home, for that matter. He wasn't sure what that sort of shocking news could do to his grandparents. Sure, even at their age, they seemed like the very picture of health- physically, that is- but he didn't want to take any risks.

"Heheh. I'm just messing with ya, Arnold. Of course you can go out and have fun. Heck, I was young once, and caused a whole lot more trouble than you ever did."

Arnold was relieved. He was about to say goodbye when his grandfather cut in once more. "You're with a girl, aren't you?"

Arnold almost dropped the phone. He was about to scold his grandfather, but he didn't really know what else to say. In a way, he was right but he was also wrong. How was he supposed to explain things when he himself was confused by what was going on?

"Yes," he admitted.

"Well who is it?" Grandpa asked, sounding excited. "Is it that red-headed girl or your friend with the one eyebrow?"

"Helga, Grandpa." Arnold sighed and paused to think. Did Helga still only have one eyebrow? He couldn't imagine Helga bothering to shave or pluck or whatever it is that girls did to their eyebrow. All he knew was that unibows were supposed to be _unattractive_ on girls.

_There was nothing unattractive about Helga G. Pataki._

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his grandfather chuckling on the phone. "It's not what you think!"

"Well, who said I was thinking anything?" Grandpa countered. "Relax, Arnold. You're acting like we don't trust you or something. We all know better than that, so stop worrying and save your energy for more important things. Heheh."

"Bye, Grandpa." Arnold replied. He wasn't about to set the record straight with his grandfather. He was already uncomfortable enough at his grandfather's sly remarks. Was it just him, or did everyone's minds get dirtier overnight? "I'll be home soon."

Arnold hung up the phone and an idea occurred to him. Helga may have been bluffing when she threatened Ed earlier that day, but it actually wasn't a bad idea to let people back home know where to find them in case things went from bad to worse.

The problem was who to call. He still didn't want to get his grandparents involved. Enduring his grandfather's notions earlier was embarrassing enough, having his aged but ever sprightly grandmother break out the war paint would be too much.

On the other hand, he knew a set of parents who could stand to worry a little more about their daughter.

He picked up the phone once more to dial the Patakis home number. Amazing how he still had it memorized, despite not having had much reason to call Helga in a very long time. He never meant to lose touch with her, but she never seemed to be around so much anymore. Oh, they saw each other in school, and they were friends with the same people, but she was never as in his face as she used to when they were younger. He kind of missed it.

Until last night.

Suddenly, the old Helga he knew from childhood was back, calling him names, bossing him around, mystifying him in ways only she could.

Maybe it wasn't too late to reconnect with Helga. And maybe he could be the one to make her stay.

He found his own thoughts laughable. "Yeah right," he muttered.

The phone rang had been ringing for such a long time that he almost didn't expect anyone to answer.

"Hello?" the words were slightly slurred.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Pataki. It's Arnold," he greeted politely. There was a pause on the other end, so he continued to talk. "I'm a friend of Helga's"

"Oh Helga!" Helga's mom half exclaimed, half mumbled on the phone. "Just a minute, I'll call her. Hel- GA!"

"No, Mrs. Pataki, she isn't there. She's run away." Arnold started to explain.

"She's not answering, Alfred. I think she went out." Miriam Pataki told him. "I'll just tell her you called, okay? Buh-bye now."

Arnold tried to get Helga's mother to listen to him, but she had already hung up. He sighed and dialed another number. No conversation with Big Bob Pataki had ever proved to be pleasant, but at least he could count on him to be more lucid than his wife.

"Big Bob's Beeper Emporium." A gruff voice answered. Over the years, the ever-enterprising Big Bob had, fortunately for his family, ventured into selling more contemporary and profitable communication devices but stuck with the name he came up with when he set up shop in Hillwood. Helga may have inherited her temper from her father, but her creativity-which Arnold knew she was noted for in school, but had rarely witnessed himself- had to have come from somewhere else.

"Mr. Pataki, it's Arnold. I'm calling about your daughter

"Olga?" Big Bob Pataki sounded worried. "What's wrong with her? Is she okay?"

"Not Olga, Mr. Pataki. Helga," he explained.

"Helga?" Big Bob repeated. "What's that girl done this time?"

"She's run away."

"She what?" the older man bellowed. "That little lady has some nerve. After all I've done for her. Well, she'll come home when she gets hungry."

"I think she means it, Mr. Pataki. You have to convince her to come home." Arnold was on the verge of begging.

"And how do you suppose I do that, Arthur, huh? " Big Bob challenged. "She's not going to listen to me."

"Just talk to her, Sir. You're her father and I think she needs you to act like it."

"Yeah right," Helga's father quipped. "Look, kid, you know what that daughter of mine is like. She's not into that kind of stuff. Okay, so maybe me and Miriam aren't as involved in her life as we are with Olga. Guess what? She wanted it that way."

"But Mr. Pataki," Arnold insisted. Sure Bob had a point. Helga was the sort of person to refuse to be meddled with, but that shouldn't be enough reason for anyone to stop reaching out. "This is different."

"Are you sure? All these years, she keeps complaining how I never take interest in her life but you know what happens when we try to get involved?" Big Bob ranted. "She yells at me to leave her alone or to get out of her room. She ruins Thanksgiving for everyone. But most of all, she loses the Spelling Bee on purpose!"

The last one must have slipped, thought Arnold. He remembered the Spelling Bee from fourth grade. He and Helga were the finalists and Big Bob offered him the exact amount of the cash prize to lose to Helga. He even considered it, but before he even had a chance to take a dive, Helga missed the word she was asked to spell and Arnold was instantly declared the winner. He couldn't remember what word caused Helga to lose the tournament, but he remembered being surprised at the time. It was probably the last time Big Bob had taken any interest in Helga's school activities.

Arnold wondered then, how much Helga knew about Big Bob's offer and felt ashamed.

"I remember you bribing me back then, Mr. Pataki. You must not have been that confident in Helga's abilities if you felt the need to do that. How do you know she did it on purpose?"

"Because," Big Bob interjected impatiently. "That last word was Olga's winning word and she's heard the story a million times. She thinks she's so clever, but I know she did it on purpose. _To hurt me_."

_Patakis, _Arnold observed, _certainly bore grudges for a long time. No wonder she'd hated him all this time. _

"You hurt her first, Mr. Pataki, by not believing in her." Arnold said quietly. He knew he was overstepping, but Big Bob was miles away and decided nothing bad could come of it.

"Hey!" Big Bob protested defensively. "I could see she was having a hard time and wanted to make things easier for her. I meant well. It's what any father would do, not that _you _would know.

_Apparently, Patakis also went for the jugular in the exact same fashion_.

"Ah er, well," Big Bob continued, sounding adequately sheepish. "I don't have time for this. That girl left on her own, she can find her way home on her own."

"Look," Arnold told the middle aged man on the phone before he could hang up. "This might be your last time to be there for your daughter. _Do the right thing_."

Arnold wasn't even sure Big Bob heard the last thing he said, but he hoped so. He had to admit Big Bob made some very valid arguments and Helga was not the easiest person to deal with. Heck, Arnold was the proverbial choir that Big Bob was preaching to on that matter, but he didn't think that was reason enough to let Helga go without a fight.

He had no doubt that, in their own very similar ways, Helga and her father loved each other. He just wished they would both stop being so stubborn and admit it already.

He then remembered that even though he had already talked to three people, he still had not accomplished his goal of making his whereabouts known. There was only one person he could count on. He dialed again.

Gerald Johanssen picked up after a few rings and Arnold had never been happier to hear his voice. "Gerald! I'm so glad you're home!"

"Arnold, my man, I haven't seen you in days! What's shaking, baby?"

Arnold chose to ignore Gerald's strange expressions. "Listen, Gerald, I need your help. My car was stolen and I'm stuck here in a town called Brookside and I need you to come get us."

"Whoa whoa whoa! Hold the phone, Arnold! Now let me see if I got this straight. You're in Brookside? Man, that's a lousy place to get stuck in."

"Tell me about it, Gerald" Arnold agreed.

"How'd you end up there, anyway?"

"Well, Helga wanted to rest and" Arnold began to explain.

"Helga's with you?" Gerald asked incredulously. "Man! How'd you manage to get yourself in that situation?"

"Well, she stole my car so she could run away and she brought me along for the ride." There was no trace of humor in Arnold's voice.

"So basically you're stuck miles away without any means of transportation all because of Helga?" Gerald summarized.

"Yup."

"Sounds to me like Helga's finally gonna try and do away with you, Arnold!"

"That's not funny, Gerald." Arnold snapped. Why did he ever think Gerald would be helpful?

"Well, it wasn't supposed to be. Think about it, Arnold. You're stranded in the middle of nowhere with someone who had never been shy about telling you she hates you. Can you just picture Helga in a hockey mask, wielding a chainsaw?"

"Stop it," Arnold warned. "Helga's not like that."

"Whatever you say, Arnold." Gerald sounded doubtful, but he just didn't know Helga that well.

Then again. Arnold had to admit, neither did he.

"So can you pick me up or not?" Arnold asked again.

"Can't, Man." Gerald at least had the decency to sound apologetic. "Jamie O's got the car and my parents are making me chaperone Timberly's slumber party tonight. You know, so nobody eats us out of house and home and all the lights are out by ten because you know how my dad is."

"Unbelievable. You're convinced Helga's plotting my demise and you're not gonna do anything about it? Can't you sneak out or something?"

"You gotta understand, Arnold." Gerald reasoned. "It's these junior high girls. Man! Why didn't they look like that when _we were _in junior high?"

"Sick!" Arnold said in a disgusted voice. It was official. The whole world had turned into perverts. Gerald had always been girl-crazy, but Arnold had never seen this side of him before. He had to wonder what was going on.

"Hey!" Gerald protested defensively. "You didn't hear me say nothing when you made my sister your girlfriend."

Arnold rolled his eyes. "For your information, your sister made _me_ her boyfriend. And that was completely different from what you're doing now. It was completely innocent."

"Okay, okay. Anyway, just hitchhike back to Hillwood or something. Can't be more dangerous than staying there with Helga."

"I can't leave her here, Gerald." Arnold said sadly. He already knew that much. No matter how angry or confused she made him, no matter how much she lashed out at him or hurt his feelings, he just couldn't walk away.

"She'll be fine." Gerald reassured him. "This is Helga we're talking about. You know, _Helga G. Pataki_."

"No," Arnold insisted. He knew Gerald would never understand. "I uh, wanna make sure she's okay."

"Mmm-mm-mm!" Gerald made the noise he always made when he disapproved of something. "Then you already have it."

"Have what?" Arnold was confused.

"Stockholm Syndrome." Gerald said matter-of-factly.

It took a while for Arnold to answer. "That's crazy talk, Gerald. I _do not_ have Stockholm Syndrome."

"Are you sure? You're having warm and fuzzy feelings for the girl who stole your car and is keeping you away from home against your will. Sounds like Stockholm Syndrome to me."

"Whatever you say, Gerald." Arnold suddenly did not have the strength to argue with his best friend. The subject was getting all-too disturbing and he needed time to process things.

However, he wasn't in his usual generous mood, either and did not want to let him off the hook so easily. "Just so you know, if Helga tries to torture me for any useful information, the first thing I'd probably let slip is what her best friend's boyfriend is up to this evening."

That got Gerald's attention. "You don't think she'll tell Phoebe, do you?"

"What do you think?" Arnold challenged. "So you better get here before that happens."

"Can I stay 'til 'lights out'?"

Arnold shrugged. "It's your funeral."

"Only if it isn't yours." Gerald quipped. Arnold had to laugh and the two best friends said goodbye.

Arnold was satisfied, even though Gerald did not exactly commit to anything. As far as Arnold was concerned he had accomplished what he set out to do, which was let someone know where he and Helga were. It was really just a precaution, anyway. He didn't really feel like he was in a life-threatening situation despite Gerald's notions.

"Stockholm Syndrome," he muttered in disbelief. Warm and fuzzy feelings, Gerald had said. Was it possible?

"Arnold?" A young girl's voice called behind him. He knew whose it was, but it sounded softer than he was used to, and the warm and fuzzy feelings grew exponentially.

He turned to face Helga, and he wondered to himself if Stockholm Syndrome had any physical symptoms. He was feeling feverish and kind of weak.

"Um, I've been looking for you," Helga told him in a hesitant voice. "Let's go back to our room."

Arnold's knees buckled.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I think my chapters keep getting longer and longer. Anyway, this story's almost over, just 2 or 3 more to go, depending on if any new ideas come along.

I would like to borrow a page from my favorite ffn authors and announce that starting with the reviews I get for this chapter, I will be using the review-reply function and thanking all reviewers personally. I'm sorry if I have offended any of you by not doing this before. That function had simply not been there the last time I was active here. It's a great feature, and I'm looking forward to getting in touch with all of you.

For now, I'd like to thank the ones who reviewed the last chapter (I don't want to send anyone messages out of the blue, especially if they commented ages ago.)

acosta perez jose ramiro

angie93

Evlwolf

The Pink Bow and The Blue Hat

Kpfan72491

Annemarie22

Thanks guys!

Also, I think I need a beta.


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